Deus ex evolution
by Anaberus
Summary: Deus ex novelette set in the years between deus ex human revolution and the Deus ex original. A squad of mech-aug agents track down the offspring of initial nano-tech testing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- **Rebirth**

NSO RESEARCH FACILITY – _LOCATION UNKNOWN 17:53 / 2046_

The surgical servitor moved precisely and quickly in the hands of the surgeon, halogen bulbs sending shards of light glinting from the arsenal of needles on displau. Laying deep within the subterranean levels of its parent research facility the nanotech special operations or NSO officially didn't exist. Unfortunately for Lynton Dean, strapped prone to the operating table, that meant he officially no longer existed either.

The need for escape heightened in his mind. Lynton searched the room for something he might have missed earlier, some miraculous key to freedom. Metal cuffs dug painfully into his wrists as he thrashed as much as the solid braces would allow. Large metal straps tightened over his chest in response to the movement, forcing the air from Lynton's lungs. "Calm down Mr Dean" Ordered the surgeon, his facemask making him appear like some macabre ventriloquist. "The nanites need minimal excitation during the initial phases. Neither of us would like the effects should their dispersion be disrupted".

The larger of the servitors emitted a low hum as one of the multitude of arms extended downwards, presenting a thick steel needle to Lynton's forehead. He shifted his eyes back to the surgeon, trying his best to cough out the tightly balled gag from his mouth. The surgeon lent over to the servitor and started typing onto its visual display before pressing a small button on the operating arm. The arm responded immediately, swinging down to Lynton's neck just outside his field of vision. Feeling a sharp pinch he bent his body trying to get a better look but to no avail. "Just a mild relaxant Mr Dean, we wouldn't want to miss would we", He had a feeling the surgeon was smiling.

Lynton knew with utter certainty this was the last time he would truly be himself. Nano-technology was still theoretical to public knowledge and even then Layton had only heard the term in passing, but he sensed enough about the machine hanging over him to grasp its malevolent intent. The needle inches from his forehead needed no further explanation. Something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be good.

Awakened back to life now the arm holding the larger needle moved tenuously closer to Linton's skin, hairs standing at attention for the arrival of this stainless harbringer. Reaching its unsaid destination, the arm paused while the needle retracted marginally back into its sheath. Two, three more times it moved before only the very tip of the needle protruded from its cage. Lynton permitted himself one last look into the eyes of the surgeon. The promise of pain and likely death was now in the hands of the servitor he knew. But some part of him yearned for the small warmth of human compassion.

Pouncing from its sheath the needle lanced into Lynton's forehead. Hot coals of pain exploded in his skull as the needle burrowed deeper and deeper through his being. Pumped intravenously with adrenaline from the second servitor his mind grasped at. Glimpses of images flashed in front of him; the surgeon, the needle. In a moment of lucidity Lynton wondered what was pulsing through the feeding tubes into the arm of the servitor. It was to be thankfully brief as a surge of pain overcame even his adrenaline-raddled system and the kind darkness claimed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – **Echo**

PROTACORP TOWER – _NYC 02:31 / 2046_

The four agents shivered silently on opposing corners of the rooftop, shifting towards their pre-assigned positions. This was hardly an unusual hour for a callout but Conrad's body still protested to the abrupt awakening by his neurolink system. At 36 he was the most senior of the team, a fact the others brought up often to his chagrin. He wasn't old by any stretch as a civilian world but the dangers of such extensive augmentation as his increased exponentially with age. It was rare for complex procedures to be carried out on anyone over 30 and indeed the majority of Conrad's augs pre-dated all of his comrades. Even given his time with them he doubted he would ever fully be accustomed to being jolted awake to his Captain yelling orders.

The call had come simultaneously to all the members of IronEcho, transmitted wirelessly through mechanical implants situated inside the ear canal. One of the more discreet but most intrusive of their extensive array of body augmentations. Looking through the night to the opposite corner of the rooftop Conrad could just make out the lithe outline of his second in command, Chinese-American MIT graduate Laura Yang. Closest to her, standing beyond a large intake vent stood the considerably larger bulk of Branson Hoyle. Branson has served with Conrad for most of his career and was known as the bull for his extensive upper body augmentations. Conrad could clearly make out the unnaturally large silhouette of his deltoid implants, adding to his imposing presence. The last and newest member of the team was James Lombard. At only 24 he was the youngest Aug-op agent to be promoted into an Ironhead taskforce thanks to his athleticism and agility. Conrad had temporarily lost sight of James but was confident he was making his way to his own entry point.

Conrad sighed as he opened up a commlink to Bull. "what ya reckon big guy, hardly an ideal situation" he whispered. "I thought it about even" replied bull sarcastically. "Is everyone in position, where's the punk, I can't see him". Conrad found the small protrusion on his lower larynx and pushed gently. A small tick signalled his comms were now open to all channels. "Report status" he whispered. "In position, standing by" came the prompt reply from Yang. Several seconds passed before the hiss of static was replaced by Lombards reply, "all set boss" he chirped. Conrad stood in a hunch and carefully moved the remaining few pace to his own entry point, a large angled window facing in to the reception area of a corporate sweet.

Towering over the skyline of lower manhattan, Protatech's Head office tower had become the new hub for the corporate elite of New York. Standing tall and thin it was a nightmare insertion by anyone's measure. According to the Captain unknown intruders had gained access to the building 40 minutes earlier, the likely target being the top tier information held on the upper floors. The intruders inside had undoubtedly heard their approach by chopper and were expecting visitors. Conrad at least had the peace of mind that SWAT was clearing the building from the bottom up. But at 86 floors up it would all be over before they made it even halfway up the monolithic structure. The Captain had been clear in the mission briefing, terminate with extreme prejudice. That suited Conrad just fine, his augmentations weren't suited for the subtleties of hostage rescue or stealth operations. That was Lombard and Lang's field. No, a bag and tag was what he was after. It did strike him as odd that the Captain had been so explicit in his desire for all the intruders to be eliminated before the SWAT team reached them but he didn't dwell on it. It was time to go to work.

Conrad clicked open his comm.-link, "Bull, James, stand by, Yang drop the bangbot". "Roger that sir". James had coined the term bangbot on their last operation with the new toy. A remote operated stealth flash-bang device it released a deafening blast and blinding light to everyone in the vicinity. Yang had become especially proficient at using it due to her complex neural augmentations, allowing her to interface directly with the machine. Meanwhile Conrad searched the darkness through the window, his enhanced vision picking out shapes and colours, while a dim green readout on his visor measured the distance to the ground. He guessed he was far enough up to be indistinguishable to the un-augmented eyes of the terrorists in the room below.

Yang's voice cut through the pensive silence, "Bot in position, ready grapple lines". Conrad lifted an arm in front of him, the moonlight dimly reflecting from the matt black components that made up this lower forearm. After losing his hand and a leg in the early 30's in Korea Conrad had been 'selected' as a volunteer for the first wave of army augmentation projects. With bulky mechanical prosthetics success was limited but Conrad's continued service showed the potential of soldier augmentation. Later after joining Ironhead Conrad had his entire forearm replaced with an alloy microfibre system, which mimicked the function of human muscle and bone but endowed the recipient with superior strength and durability. Conrad rotated a plate on the top of his wrist to expose the sharp barb of the high tensile grappling line.

Conrad eased his body regulators and let the adrenaline infuse him. Sometimes nature just does it better he thought ironically. "Everybody dim vision", he commanded. "Entry in 3…2….

The ethereal shriek of detonation hurt Conrad's ears even through his muted aural receivers. He watched as a new sun was birthed in the top floor of Protacorp. The inferno of blazing incandescence tearing through the complex. Removing his visual and aural buffers Conrad levelled his arm horizontally against the window and fired the grappling barb with a whistling pop. Glass shattered into the room below as lengths of wire whipped from their coils, the barbs puncturing their teeth into the target on the opposing overhang.

Pitching himself from the ledge Conrad pulled the large automatic pistol from his holster with his free hand and fired at the prone body of an enemy caught incapacitated by the explosion. The piercing bark of his unsuppressed weapon sowing fear in the dazed intruders. As his swing came to the bottom of the arc, he turned to see Laura hit the ground beside him and disconnect from her line. With computational precision she pivoted her twin small calibre pistols and fired into the darkness. An audible yelp was followed by three further shots from yang as she moved to the cover of a thick pillar. Conrad had moved to the adjacent wall and checked his previous target, the expanding blood patches the only sign he had hit his mark. Yang made her along the wall towards him. "We need to keep moving, success probability drops significantly beyond two minutes". A ring around Conrad's iris rotated slowly as a film moved across his pupil, enabling his thermal vision. He quickly scanned the room, the two fresh corpses leaving ember trails across his vision, obstructing his view. "Yang, 2 o'clock, 30 metres". Yang hefted a tiny silver marble in to her palm. Even with an unaugmented arm Conrad knew that her mind more then compensated for judging the distance and angle. With a flick the ball drifted silently before the cracking whip of a small explosive flared in the corner where Conrad had spotted the man crouching. "Nice one" he smirked.

Allowing himself a second to attune to his surroundings he noticed the quiet in the adjoining suite. James and Bull had entered through the corporate suite next door and were supposed to sweep the room before rendezvousing in the downstairs computer lab. James was no stranger to stealth but It wasn't like Bull to make a quiet entrance. Before he had completed the thought a blast exploded through the wall facing Conrad, smouldering chunks of plaster falling in to fill the gap where company awards had hung proudly moments before. He recognised the familiar smell of a frag grenade as he charged towards the new entrance to the room, Laura's pistols spitting past his ears as she followed him through.

Conrad's visor chimed an alert in his ear, a green boxes marked Hoyle was overlayed onto his vision. Distance calculations put him somewhere near the far corner of the room but Conrad had no clear line of sight. Two ornamental dividing walls separated the two halves of the expansive sweet, with a row of pillars flanking the wall closest to Conrad, and several rows of computers in the opposite corner. Muzzle flare lit the room as shards of blue marble shattered overheads. Conrad and Laura both dived for the safety of a nearby pillar. "Bull, what's going on, where's the noise", Conrad muted the sound of gunfire and listened for Bull's reply. "Sorry boy took a nick coming in, weapons mods aren't responding. Thought I'd have a sit down until you got here", "Where's James then?" asked Conrad. "I don't know, the punk took off as soon as we dropped" Bull said, sounding irritated.

Conrad called across to Laura at the next pillar, "Yang what's the situation?". Laura reached her index finger around the pillar, activating the microscopic camera located in the tip. "Six Tangos I can see" she said. "Four along the far wall covering behind some desks, two along the balcony entrance." Taking the risk Conrad passed his pistol into his augmented right arm and sprinted from his pillar. Bullets hissed at his ankles as he slid to cover behind one of the dividing walls, returning fire into the dark. With a scream the bullets overhead changed direction and began firing randomly into the wall furthest from Conrad. Confused but wanting to take advantage of the distraction Conrad left his cover and ran for the corner where Bull was hiding. Obviously reaching the same conclusion about the strange enemy behaviour he could see Yang bolting from wall to wall, inching closer to the source of the fire. Yang's voice cackled in his ear, "Sir it's James, he's in the wall indent above the tango's.

Conrad put a hand on Bull's shoulder plate and peered slowly over the covering office equipment. Activating his thermal vision he peered through the white flashes of muzzle looking for James' subdued thermal readout. Following repeated requests James' charcoal body suit had been fitted with thermal, and optical regulators, which along with making him appear as a faint blob in infrared, closely mimics the surrounding room environment. Conrad looked to the corner that Yang had described and saw four of the intruders firing with abandon upwards in to the room. It was obvious they didn't have a bead on James but even so, Conrad was worried that a stray bullet would catch him.

Conrad knelt back down behind the cover and turned to inspect Bull. It was immediately clear where he had been struck. The bullet had torn a large gouge of metal laterally across the chest plate and buried itself in the mechanics of the shoulder separator, narrowly missing the protective curved plate. "What's the damage" Conrad said, flinching as a deflected bullet took at hole out of his covering wall. "Movement's fine, aug weapons are down though" he sighed. Bull whacked his left arm against the wall, shaking it a few times to show his point. "Ok hang tight big guy." Conrad said, offering a sympathetic smile to his old friend. Opening up his comms channel his spoke sharply to his other team mates. "James I know you cant speak but buffer your sight and sound. Yang flash 'em big". "Roger that sir, flash and clear". Only moments later white enveloped the room as Yang's remaining two bombs detonated with blinding efficiency. Yang and Conrad charged into the corner, Bull thudding closely behind.

Yang reached them first, vaulting onto the desk and shoulder charging a blinded enemy from his feet. Pumping his sprawled body with a double tap of her pistol as her momentum carried her on. Conrad reached the wall next crouching in firing position next to the desk and training his sights on two mean scrambling for their dropped rifles. Conrad's muzzle flared angrily, digging blood red chunks from the marble wall behind. Both the men dropped, heads cracking on the hard ground. Conrad moved his sights to the right but the other man was faster. He dove for Laura's midsection, attempting a crude tackle. Falling backwards Laura responded intuitively, wrapping her arms around the shoulders of her attacker and used her falling momentum to do a complete roll, ending up sitting on his chest. With feline speed she unsheathed the knife from her ankle and forced it upwards, sinking the blade at an angle into the man's neck. The evident surprise in the man's face was brief, replaced by a gaunt pallor. Laura leapt to her feet and reclaimed her fallen pistols, moving to cover Conrad.

Expecting Bull to follow them Conrad turned to see him thundering towards the two men on the balcony. Worried, he gave chase but Bull had made too much ground. He collided with the first of the men, driving his plated shoulder into his central mass. The man lifted with a thump and hit the balcony rail, slumping cross-legged to the ground. Conrad was sure he was dead. The second man had regained some of his senses and swung his snub nosed SMG up to some semblance of a firing position. With surprising speed Bull stepped outside the man's arm, grabbing his wrist. The man struggled to bring his weapon to bear but there was no arm wrestling control from Bull. He drove a knee deep into the man's solar plexus dropping him to the ground and sending his weapon skittering. He stood to catch his breath while Yang walked over and silenced the writhing man. Bull walked over to retrieve the fallen firearm and cocked the receiver. He levelled the gun one handed and fired a round into the slumped body of the Man he'd charged. The body twitched but stayed contorted in its grotesque pose on the office floor.

"Nice show boys" came James' voice from corner behind them "where's the popcorn". Yang's lips tweaked at the corners, an unusual expression of amusement. "That's a nice job for you boy" grinned Bull. "I'll suggest to the captain you be our distraction more often". James smile dropped from his face, His one natural eye twitching in annoyance. "Hey that's enough" Conrad interrupted, "Yang where's SWAT". Two floors down sir, be here any moment". "Nice of them to turn up" James griped. "Harden up Lombard you didn't get scratched" Bull chided. "Cool it guys" Conrad said facing Bull. "we've got work to do".


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Hunter**

PROTACORP TOWER – _NYC 04:13 / 2046_

Stepping back out in to the crisp night air Conrad and Laura made their way to the waiting med-van. James lay flat in the back of the van, a cable inserted in to his suit above his tailbone connecting at the other end to a bundle of switches and meters. Branson meanwhile was perched on the rear entrance to the van being tended to by a frustrated looking surgeon. Bull always had a way with officious types Conrad mused.

Laura leapt up on to the rear of the van and huddled inside to check on James, while Conrad took a seat beside the decidedly bored looking Bull. The surgeon looked more like a mechanic, micro-pliers in hand digging into Bulls shoulder. "Reckon you'll have to go back to the shop?" Conrad joked. The workshop had become the team's nickname for the Ironhead medical-ward back at base owing to the collections of mechanical parts and engineers scurrying about. He and Bull often joked about being added to the parts boxes when they were too old for service.

"Don't think so, Doc thinks the bullets just lodged in a receiver. Think he must be new tho" Bull added with a small smile. "Hey Doc you going to be finished anytime soon I'm hungry" The Surgeon pretended not hear and continued levering the pliers into Bull's shoulder. The surgeon wrenched his wrist sharply making Bull wince. At first Conrad thought he had just done it in retaliation and laughed quietly to himself, but removing his hand Conrad could see he had retrieved the slug from it's bed in Bulls mechanics. He dropped it into Bulls outstretched hand and slunk back in to the van to tend to James.

Bull looked down at the crumpled ball of lead in his hand, "one for the pile aye old boy" he joked with an odd solemnity. Conrad looked over his old friend. Bull had been a riot cop for many years before catching the eyes of the Iron head team and still bore some scars that his augs didn't cover. Conrad's eyes traced the thin white scar over the left cheek of Bulls forehead, the remnant of a concealed knife during the anti-war marches. The scar snaked up over Bull's temple before forcing a part in his rusty brown tussle of hair, exaggerating his already receding hairline. James had once left a pamphlet out for Bull outlining the latest advances in hair follicle stimulation. One of the many incidents in which Conrad had to separate the two lest Bull rip him limb from limb. In the same way Bull had a way with officials, James had a peculiar knack for winding up the normally docile Bull.

Conrad's roused himself from the nostalgia and looked at James still lying flat in the Van. "What's he doing in there" he asked Bull, "I didn't think he got tagged?"

"You know him" Bull replied "always whining about something. Think he's got a problem with the suit, reckons it's not shifting properly in lowlight". "All shit if you ask me," he added, tossing the bullet over his shoulder so it bounced into James mechanical soles with a clang. James glanced at the two of the momentarily before returning to his conversation with Laura and the surgeon.

Conrad flinched as a static hiss invaded his head. He settled himself, embarrassed to realise it was his internal comms system switching on. Sometimes when they were in close proximity to each other or strong magnetic fields it produced strange feedback in the implant. The hiss settled quickly and was replaced by the tone of their commander, Captain Halton. Conrad could see from the change in his teammates expressions that they all were receiving the same call. "Word from SWAT is that you insertion was a success" Boomed the commander, the aural transceivers giving his voice a hollow quality, "Did you dispose of all the intruders? The captain asked.

"Yes sir" replied Conrad. "Resistance was more than expected but nothing we couldn't handle. Hoyle took a minor hit but is fully operational".

"And what about the data, did they gain access to the labs? The computers?" quizzed the Captain.

"Not that we could see sir, Yang performed some diagnostics and determined they hadn't manage to infiltrate the system. A few of them had wireless data transmitters which we destroyed on site as ordered."

"Good job sergeant" applauded the Captain.

"Thing is sir they didn't look like the images that were sent in the briefing. Nothing like the terrorists who hit the underground. These guys were in civvy outfits, not amateurs but certainly not the military cells we've been hunting. A few automatics and pistols, nothing you can't get on every corner. I'm sure SWAT could of handled them."

The captain paused briefly before replying, "We'll review the recordings that Yang sent in from the insertion and identify this new cell. Any attack on Protacorp has to be taken very seriously. There is a lot of classified defence documentation we can't have floating around on the underground". Conrad had the feeling the Captain was holding back something from him, but what was new about that. Protacorp was initially a R&D section of a pharmaceutical company that was quick to adopt the new advancements in human augmentation. Although not the only manufacturer they had a monopoly on all Government contracts, giving them immense corporate power. Through a series of tactical acquisitions they were poised to be the sole augmentation supplier within the next few years. Conrad could see why the Government would be a little jumpy at the thought of terrorists getting access to Portacorp's documents.

The captain broke the silence and addressed Conrad directly, "Sergeant Stearn I have contacted echo myself instead of the reference team because I have a priority briefing here that needs immediate action. Do you assess the echo team functional enough for operation tonight?"

"Tonight sir? Can't you send another ironhead team?" Conrad replied.

"Your team is closest to the target and this needs to be actioned immediately, I need a quick, frank assessment Sargent, is your team operational?" Conrad looked at his other team members briefly before replying. "Yes sir, IronEcho is operational".

The captain re-opened his comms to all channels before continuing. "Alright team, there won't be any sleep tonight so make sure you adjust your stims. We have a priority one briefing that needs your attention." Conrad could see Bull and James' faces sink at the news. Laura retained her look of vigilant attention but Conrad could see in her eyes she was feeling the drain of the night's exertions. "We received a call at 03:50 from a private psychiatric hospital that a violent patient had escaped from their facility. This patient has knowledge of priority one defence information and it is of extreme importance we recapture him before he has any contact with the public. He was last seen escaping in to the sewer network near the old financial district just west of your location. Your orders are to shoot on site and bring the body, along with any possessions back to HQ immediately. He must under no circumstances come in to public contact so keep him in the sewers."

"Sir can't you send SWAT, they're already here waiting I'm sure they could handle it. Conrad asked.

"Don't second guess me sergeant" replied the Captain, his voice rising in volume. "This target is of the utmost importance. The facility already has their own teams sweeping the area. I've sent the info to Yang, get down there now!" With a small click the captain was gone, leaving the team staring at each other.

"This is bullshit" James spat, removing the cable from his suit and shifting towards the back of the van. "Have we got to go boss."

"You know better than that," replied Conrad, "everybody gear up."

"Sir I've been searching my interfaces and there are no records of any medical facilities matching that description in the old financial district. The Captains coordinates he sent match a derelict banking tower." Conrad thought for a second before replying. Trying to justify the Captains orders both to himself and the team. "Any facility housing priority ones wont be on the system Yang, they're too valuable."

"An Ironhead team is still excessive" said Laura, "His file indicates he's just a scientist."

"Prudent" Conrad corrected. "Now that's enough," Conrad lowered his voice giving it an authorities tone. "Everybody gear up and adjust your stimulants, we leave in three minutes."

Walking away from the van towards the SWAT equipment station Conrad couldn't help feeling the same doubts as his teammates. This was excessive, even for the Captain. He mentally jolted himself. Doubts wouldn't serve anyone tonight the clock was ticking. He cocked back a lever on his arm, revealing a thick sharp blade following the forearm bone down to the wrist. "Ready for anything" He whispered to himself.

UNKNOWN – _NYC 04:13 / 2046_

Deep within the New York sewer system a man heaved with exhaustion. The tangible stench of faeces invaded his nostrils, tickling the gag reflex in the back of his throat. He tried to listen for the sound of his perusers but his own heavy breathing was all he could hear. "Where could he go looking like this?" He thought, surrender briefly crossing his mind. There was nowhere, he knew that. But he refused to give in. He looked down at the sharp protrusions encrusting his knuckles, thick bony deformities leading back up his muscular forearms. "He would hunt them for this, they would pay."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3 – Breadcrumbs**

LOWER MANHATTAN – _NYC 04:30 / 2046_

"We're here" Laura confirmed, halting the three others with a stiff raise of her hand. Conrad looked around at the unassuming street section of the old financial district. The police cordon had instilled an eerie silence to the usually bustling city sector. "Where's here?" James replied, keeping his volume low.

"The sewer intersection beneath our position was where Mr Dean was last spotted" Said Yang,

"And that was?" said James, trailing off.

"Approaching twelve minutes ago" Yang finished. "A hundred metres north west of our position the diagnostics show a large branching of tunnels, intel suggest we pick up the search from there".

"Don't suppose there's a door round here?" James queried.

Yang flicked her head to the right, indicating a small stormwater drain set in the gutter. "That's the only direct entrance to our branch".

Conrad's corded metal sinews flexed with strain as he tried to rip the grate from its setting in the pavement. It's unusual strength owed to the recent restructuring of this part of the city, a last ditch attempt to save the struggling towers of the old corporate dynasties. The grate was set in place with pillion reinforcement for this very reason, to keep people out of the sewers. Conrad turned to Bull and called him over from the others busy readying their weapons. Without a word Bull took position crouching over the drain, one knee bent in a sprinters pose. With no ceremony he plunged his fist through the reinforcing pillar and buried it in the surrounding concrete. With a firm anchor Bull moved to a squatting position and flexed his tremendous legs. The concrete groaned under the pressure as it battled the mechanical forces opposing it, before finally giving way. Bull lifted the massive slab of pavement over his head and dropped it with a crunch on to the street. Chunks of concrete crumbled, leaving Bulls arm coated in a chalky film.

James and Laura stepped up to join Conrad and Bull on the ledge of the hole. The stench of sewage wormed into Conrad's nostrils causing him to gag involuntarily. Catching himself he attuned his olfactory adjustments to a tolerable level and activated the commlink to his team. "Alright everyone knows the drill, all friendlies are searching to our east so we have this section to ourselves. We are ordered to eliminate and dispose so if it moves blast it. Sound will carry for miles down here so don't go letting off rounds until you have a shot. We'll run on night vision so keep your torches off until contact." He paused to check each face before continuing. "Something's strange about this one so watch yourself, lets get it done".

Conrad had barely finished speaking before James jumped down into the darkness, making an echoing splash as he landed in the ankle deep waste. "Aww shit" he hissed through his commlink. Conrad smiled at the unintended pun but ordered silence over his comm. Bull was in next, landing with a more discernable splash. Followed by Conrad and the barely detectable Laura. Conrad slowly dialled up his night vision, allowing his eyes to accustom to the near pitch black of the sewer. It was wider than he thought. At least double his height and wide enough for the team to stand abreast comfortably. It reminded Conrad of a garage more than a sewer. Conrad unslung his shotgun from his shoulder and clicked off the safety, checking again that the barrel clip was fully loaded. Accuracy was something he'd rather not have to worry about after an already exhausting night. It wasn't his own weapon but one he was familiar with none the less. The others quickly followed suit and assumed alert positions around Conrad.

Conrad lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper, "Yang you lead, Bull will take the rear". Silently acknowledging, Laura overtook him and set a bearing into the darkness. The team followed softly, watching the sole light source shrink behind them. After what seemed like about thirty metres to Conrad he detected a slight curve in the direction of the sewer and instinctively hugged the inside bend. Behind his head could feel James' large SMG twitching with contained anticipation, the hollow points begging to be put into action. Bull meanwhile handled the no less sedate assault rifle. Conrad thought his brutish hands made the deadly weapon seem almost child-like in comparison.

Another forty metres onward and the light of their entrance had disappeared completely, focusing Conrad's attention entirely on the tunnels ahead. Straining the limits of his augmented hearing he could just detect the faster flowing of water ahead. A few more steps and Laura confirmed his suspicions. "Thirty metres ahead is the intersection, watch your footing". Conrad didn't know what he was supposed to be watching his footing for but he suspected in a sewer he'd rather not know. Approaching the intersection with painful slowness, the sound of water emanating from the intersection increased to the point that the team activated their aural dampers so they could hear their comm-links. Through the hazy green of his night-vision the wide tunnel opening suddenly loomed into focus. A torrent of water surged from the stormwater outlets above. Beyond it Conrad could see a cylindrical tunnel bisecting their own and continuing endlessly downwards. Laura gestured to a tunnel opening on the opposing side of the gap, on the level below their own. "That was where Mr Dean was last spotted" shouted Laura, competing with the roar of water. "The facility forces couldn't pursue so they've gone around".

"Keep sharp team" shouted Conrad, taking over from Laura. "I want you alert as soon as you hit the other side." He lifted his shotgun and pulled back the firing arm to chamber a round. "James, you first." Expecting this James had taken a step back from the edge and stood bouncing on the suspension of his ankles. Taking three long strides to the platform he launched himself through the showering water, gaining unnatural distance before falling on to the opposing ledge. Conrad couldn't help but be impressed; James had cleared the gap by at least a metre. Following suit Laura took a longer run up and bounded across the chasm to meet James. Conrad readied his grapple for the second time that night, Bull and himself lacked the athleticism of Laura and James. But in the spirit of augmentation machines made up for their shortcomings.

Hitting the ledge together Conrad used his momentum to take a few quick steps in to cover at the front of the group. Looking behind, Laura held her pistol steady behind a concrete protrusion, while James and Bull crouched in the open. Conrad quickly pressed himself to a wall and took in his surroundings. This tunnel was significantly smaller than the previous and left him feeling more uncomfortable. This would restrict their tactical options in a firefight, they would have to continue in single column. Before he could signal to Bull, James's voice beckoned excitedly over the commlink. "Boss you should see this." Conrad hurried back to James position.

"What you got kid?"

"Blood Sarge, lots of it." James ran a gloved finger down the wall and presented it to Conrad. The black of his glove reflected an angry red as his small visor LED clicked on. Running the light over the section of concrete tunnel Conrad could make out six separate gouges beneath the slick ruby coating.

"Looks like a fifty cal, or perhaps a tetra-type weapon, definitely military or police." Said Conrad, turning to Laura. "Did you say SWAT had been through this section?"

"No sir, only the facility security cleared this section, Swat's been working east of here."

"Well whoever it was they scored some heavy hits, look at this blood I'd be surprised if our scientist isn't in a puddle up ahead". Conrad poked his finger into a bullethole, testing the depth. Why would a psychiatric hospital need weapons like that, it made no sense.

"Alright guys move quick, I want out of here. We'll have time for this after. James hit that trail; Bull and Yang fall in behind me".

The team continued on down the tunnel, snaking through the labyrinthine underground system. Occasionally they would stop to analyse some markings; blood, disturbed flotsam, smeared grime on the wall. Conrad couldn't believe how much blood there was. This guy must be running on meds and adrenaline he thought. Picking up pace the four team members maintained a cautious jog. The tunnels felt more comfortable now, the smell of prey not far from the senses. Making their way up a slow incline Conrad stopped everyone. "Yang when was the last blood you spotted".

Laura took a second to scan back through her internal recordings before replying.

"Approximately one hundred metres past was the last significant deposit."

"What about the frequency?"

Laura took a few more seconds. Her forehead bunched in confusion as she reached the same conclusion puzzling Conrad. "Decreasing, significantly."

"You think the bleeding stopped?" Bull asked.

"Don't be stupid" James retorted, "You saw the damage, you don't just stop bleeding from holes like that".

Conrad cut in, pre empting a response from Bull. "Yang check the schematics, there must be a bisecting tunnel we've missed."

"This is an open and shut tunnel sir, one exit at each end. The blood would indicate we are on the right track but I agree with James, there's no way a wound of that size would stop bleeding without attention."

This was becoming too much for Conrad, the stims were beginning to wear off and he could feel the cobwebs of fatigue dulling his thoughts. Sensing his friend's weariness Bull replied for him. "I don't know what's happening but there's only one way this guys going and I don't see a body so I say we keep going."

Conrad put a thankful hand on Bulls shoulder, "he's right lets keep moving he may not be dead but he can't keep up our pace with that much blood loss. Move out."

With a clear objective Conrad set off at a run, the rest of the team following close behind. Deciding covering ground was more important than caution at this point he navigating around the sharp bends and dips in the tunnels, keeping his shotgun tucked tight into his shoulder. The hard plasteel of the collapsible stock was a comforting stability in this increasingly frustrating night.

"One hundred metres until exit sir" Yang said as she jumped over an uneven section of tunnel. Conrad let his shotgun swing at his side as he kicked into a sprint, fuming at the potential escape of his target. Bull dropped back to the rear but James and Laura matched his speed close behind. Conrad could see a sharp bend just ahead and slowed to a manageable speed to take the corner without tripping. James sprinted along his outside, his augmented soles cutting silently through the thin layer of grime covering the sewer floor. James reached the corner first and stumbled suddenly, colliding with the adjoining wall to maintain his balance. Conrad could see in his expression he had seen something significant.

"Contact twenty metres!" James shouted through the commlink, bringing his SMG to a firing position. Conrad reached the corner moments later but could see nothing beyond the further bend in the tunnel. All four members ran with weapons raised as James filled them in.

"Sarge I'm sure it was him but it was dark, I only saw his leg."

"Shoot on sight" Conrad replied to the whole group.

Reaching the last bend the team slowed and moved into a box formation. Conrad veins coursed with adrenaline fed fury causing him to struggle to maintain a steady grip of his weapon. His vision focused utterly on the one remaining bend, every ounce of concentration channelling years of combat experience and instinctual reaction. Conrad rounded the bend first and balked at the behemoth before him. For a split-second the appalling monstrosity of the creature before him paralysed his reactions. Standing a head taller than Bull the creature appeared to shrink the sewer around him. The sillouette from the distant exit illuminating a near deamonic physique. The basic form resembled a human but thick plated protrusions ribbing the wide stretched torso reminded Conrad of a reptile. Bulging shoulders rippled with strength and danger, the adjoining limbs covered in thick bony spikes down to more human-like hands. A flat broad forehead shadowed the creatures eyes from view. Conrad barely had time to lift his weapon as the others joined him in shock.

Yang reacted first, taking a two handed firing stance and loosing three rounds down the tunnel. The blasts reverberated through the tunnel like a thunderclap, triggering a further fusillade from Bull and James. The creature threw himself to the left in a vain attempt to avoid the fire but Laura's unyielding accuracy had found its home in the collarbone and chest. The creature fell still to the ground, light from the exit reflecting in the spreading pools of yet more blood. The team advanced with Laura and Conrad in the lead, quickly closing the gap between themselves and the body. As they neared Conrad could pick out the human similarities he hadn't noticed at first glance. It was essentially a human form, just horribly disfigured and overgrown, if that was the word for it. Before any of them could react the prone body shot to its feet and took one long stride towards the opposing tunnel wall. Dropping a shoulder the creature hit the wall with enough force for the ground to tremor under Conrad's feet. The creatures grossly exaggerated shoulder broke the bricks like tinder, crumbling them at his feet and letting light pour in to the festering sewer. The sudden light source flooded the team's night vision, blinding them while their neural sensors processed the information needed to correct their optical levels. By the time Conrad could pick out the rubble from the impact the hole was completely empty.


End file.
